Lentils, Pulses & Beans

Schani Soya Chunks are high-protein textured vegetable protein made from defatted soy flour. A versatile meat substitute ideal for curries, stir-fries, and pulao.

Udhaiyam Green Mung Beans are whole green gram — small olive-green beans with the skin intact. They cook softer than most whole pulses while still holding their shape, and have a mild, faintly sweet, grassy flavour that takes a tempering well. The 2kg bag is the one to reach for if you sprout or cook them weekly.

Best for

• Sprouting for salads and sundal
• Whole green gram curry and pachai payaru
• Soups, stews and thick dal finished with coconut

How to cook it

Soak six to eight hours, or overnight, before cooking. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half cups of water for four to five whistles — the beans should give under a spoon without collapsing. To sprout them, soak eight hours, drain thoroughly, then leave them tied in a damp cloth somewhere warm for a day or two, rinsing once a day. Finish cooked beans with mustard seeds, curry leaves and grated coconut.

Pack and storage

2kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Mini Soya Chunks are the small-format textured soya pieces, granule-sized rather than the large chunks. Because they are small they rehydrate in minutes and take on the flavour of a gravy more readily, and they fold into a dish where a full-size chunk would sit awkwardly.

Best for

• Soya keema and stuffed paratha filling
• Curries, pulao and biryani
• Stir-fries, cutlets and kebabs

How to cook it

Pour boiling salted water over the chunks and leave them for eight to ten minutes until soft, then drain and, importantly, squeeze them out firmly between your palms; the water they hold is what otherwise dilutes the whole dish. Some cooks rinse and squeeze twice. Add them once the masala base is fried and the oil has separated, so they absorb the flavour rather than dampening it, and cook a further five minutes.

Pack and storage

500g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, in an airtight container.

Udhaiyam Roasted Chana, also called daria or pottukadalai, is pre-roasted split chickpeas that go into a dish exactly as they come out of the pack. The 1kg size suits a kitchen that makes chutney often, since a spoonful goes into almost every batch of South Indian coconut chutney.

Best for

• Coconut and tomato chutney for idli, dosa and vada
• Ladoo and other sweets, once ground to flour
• Sundal, snack mixes and plain snacking

How to cook it

Nothing needs cooking or soaking. In chutney, grind a couple of tablespoons along with the coconut and chilli, adding water slowly, because the chana keeps absorbing and a chutney that looks right in the jar will be too thick ten minutes later. Ground fine and sieved, it becomes the flour for ladoo. Whole, it adds crunch to a mixture or a salad.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, in an airtight container so they stay crisp.

Udhaiyam Mung Dal is split green gram with the skin removed, leaving small flat yellow grains. It cooks faster than almost any other dal, needs no soaking, and breaks down into a smooth pale-gold purée with a mild, clean flavour that never fights the tempering.

Best for

• Khichdi and ven pongal
• Everyday yellow dal and light broths
• Kosambari, payasam and sweet dishes

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs clear. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half to three cups of water for three whistles, or simmer it uncovered for about twenty-five minutes, skimming the foam that rises early on. For a fuller, nuttier flavour, dry-roast the dal in a pan until it smells toasty before cooking — worth doing for pongal. Temper at the end with ghee, cumin, asafoetida and green chilli.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Moong Dal Clean is split, skinned moong, the small yellow lentil that cooks faster and lighter than any other common dal. It breaks down quickly into a soft, mild purée and takes on a tempering without much coaxing, which makes it the everyday weekday dal.

Best for

• Everyday moong dal tadka with cumin and garlic
• Pesarattu, khichdi and ven pongal
• Dal with spinach, bottle gourd or tomato

How to cook it

No long soak is needed; fifteen minutes is plenty, and you can skip it. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for two to three whistles, or simmer it in an open pot for about twenty-five minutes. Whisk it smooth, then add salt and a tempering of cumin, garlic and dried chilli in hot ghee.

Pack and storage

500g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Soya Chunks are dried textured soya pieces that swell to around three times their size once soaked, turning spongy and firm with a bite close to minced meat. They carry almost no flavour of their own, which is the point — they take on whatever masala you cook them in.

Best for

• Soya chunk curry and kurma
• Biryani and pulao in place of meat
• Dry stir-fries, kebabs and keema-style fillings

How to cook it

Drop the chunks into boiling salted water, take the pan off the heat and leave them five to ten minutes until soft all the way through. Drain, rinse under cold water and squeeze each one firmly — most of the raw, beany smell leaves with that water, so rinse and squeeze twice if you notice it. Squeeze them properly dry before frying, then brown them in oil alongside the onions so they pick up colour before the gravy goes in.

Pack and storage

500g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Black Chickpeas (Kala Chana) in a larger pack, the small dark chickpea with a firm skin that holds its shape through long cooking. It is denser and earthier than the white kabuli chickpea and does not break down into a purée, which is why it works as well cold as hot.

Best for

• Kala chana masala and Punjabi-style gravies
• Sundal for festivals, tempered with coconut and curry leaf
• Sprouting for salads and chaat

How to cook it

Soak overnight in plenty of water; eight hours is the minimum and twelve is better. Drain, then pressure cook one cup with three cups of fresh water for six to eight whistles until they crush easily between finger and thumb. Salt after cooking. To sprout them, soak overnight, drain and leave loosely covered for a day.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Udhaiyam Mung Chilka is split green gram with the skin on, providing a richer flavour and more fibre than skinless mung dal. Ideal for nutritious dals, khichdi and Bengali moong preparations.

• Split green gram with skin for added nutrition
• Richer flavour than skinless split mung